Nevada State Library and Archives

Nevada State Museum and Historical Society
700 Twin Lakes Drive
Las Vegas, NV  89107

Guy Louis Rocha, State Coordinator, called the meeting to order at 11:05 a.m. at the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society.

Board Members Present:  Guy Louis Rocha, Nevada State Library and Archives; Bill Watson, Foundation 36; Peter Michel, UNLV Special Collections; Shayne Del Cohen, Consultant; James C. Smith, Lawyer; Sabrina Mercadante, City of Henderson; Jacque Sundstrand, UNR Special Collections;  David Millman, Nevada State Museum and Historical Society, Las Vegas.

Board Member Absent:  Victoria Ford, UNR Cooperative Extension.

Staff Present:  Jeffrey Kintop, Nevada State Library and Archives; Elizabeth Moore, Nevada State Library and Archives.

Guests:  Crystal Van Dee, Manuscript Librarian/Curator, Nevada State Museum and Historical Society, Las Vegas; Dana M. Miller, UNLV Technical Services Archivist.

Item #1 – Welcome and Introductions:
Mr. Millman introduced his guest, Crystal Van Dee, who may be contacted for assistance whenever Mr. Millman is not available.  After Board Member introductions, Ms. Van Dee left the meeting.

Action Item #2 – Approval of October 24, 2006 Minutes:
The October 24, 2006, minutes that were e-mailed to the SHRAB members are the correct ones.  Mr. Rocha clarified the last sentence of the paragraph ending at the top of page four: “The schedules have been in the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) for nearly 30 years...” The schedules have been in place for just over twenty years though the statute took effect nearly 30 years ago.  The law first passed as an unfunded mandate without inclusion of requested personnel so the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) awarded a grant to fund the hiring of someone to produce the required retention schedules. 

No other changes, clarifications, or corrections to the minutes were requested.  Mr. Michel moved to adopt the minutes of the October 24, 2006 SHRAB meeting as amended.  The motion was seconded by Mr. Millman.  Mr. Rocha called for a vote and three members abstained due to their absence from the meeting in question: Shayne Del Cohen, Sabrina Mercadante, and David Millman.  All other board members voted in favor of adopting the October 24, 2006, meeting minutes as amended.

Information Item #3 – Updates for Budgets, Legislative Session, Transitions, and Activities to Support Native American and Black History in Nevada:

Nevada State Library and Archives – Guy Rocha:  The new director of the Department of Cultural Affairs is Michael E. Fischer, a native Nevadan with an undergraduate degree from UNR and a DDS from USC who is well-connected at many levels.  Sara Jones left her position as NSLA administrator to take over as director of the Carson City Library.  A nationwide call has been put out for applicants to fill the Administrator position and Mr. Rocha is serving as interim until the position is filled again; he will also serve on the search committee that will select three applicants to submit to Mr. Fischer.

UNLV Special Collections – Peter Michel:  The University has a new president, David B. Ashley, as well as three vacant vice president positions, and the potential need to replace several deans.  UNLV is moving forward with a sustainable budget and no foreseeable fiscal crisis in the near future.

UNR Special Collections – Jacque Sundstrand:  All job openings on campus have been frozen, including one to hire a new head of Special Collections.  Some positions may be changed due to staff retirements and need realignments.  Interim Director, Ms. Donnie Curtis, has told the Vice President that she does not favor any potential position changes or upgrades.

Nevada State Museum and Historical Society – David Millman:  Mr. Millman will serve as acting director starting February 8, 2007, due to the departure of Greta Brunschweiler.  The Museum and Historical Society move to the Las Vegas Springs Preserve complex is scheduled for some time in calendar 2008 (FY 2009).  The State of Nevada is a junior partner in the Springs Preserve, secondary to the Las Vegas Water District, and the project is running over budget by $10.5 million.  The NSLA will move into the Twin Lakes building, along with the Arts Council, Historic Preservation, Talking Books, and Archeology; a portion of the current building must also retain exhibit space due to the lease agreement or the City of Las Vegas may take over the building.  Another survey should be done to determine how many hard copy records in southern Nevada will need storage since the current facility will hold less than half of what was requested as a result of a survey done eleven years ago.

City of Henderson – Sabrina Mercadante:  Two City of Henderson staff members visited the micrographics and imaging program at the NSLA in Carson City to examine equipment the city is considering for purchase.  The City of Las Vegas just built a large Records Center and the City of North Las Vegas will contract with them for storage space.  Henderson is budgeting for a long-range storage assessment this year, has a records analyst position available, and three open city council member positions to fill in the coming April election.

Native American/Black History Support – Shayne Del Cohen:  The 2007 calendar focuses on Native Americans and the 2008 theme will have Latinos.  Identifying small local library collections is an important issue at this time, as a recent visit to the West Valley Library indicated when vertical files of some local historic value were found.  Small community libraries are being consolidated into county systems and their collections may be lost in the process.  From 1999 to 2001, the IMLS did a five-state tribal library leadership development project which included the four-corner states and Nevada; Ms. Del Cohen was the Nevada Coordinator for the project.  Determinations need to be made about electronic (not digital) government records retention since many unresolved technical issues will need to be addressed.

The issue of storing electronic media will be on the agenda for the next Nevada Electronic Records Committee (NERC) meeting on March 6th, 2007.  During the February 6, 2007, meeting a Department of Transportation (DOT) representative said that they’d been advised by the Deputy Attorney General that video streams broadcast live without being recorded are not required to be saved, though audio tapes must be kept because current regulations pertain to analog materials and not video.

Foundation 36 – Bill Watson:  Foundation 36 was chartered to preserve and protect Nevada’s natural, historic, and cultural treasures.  They are not just a financial vehicle, but also undertake operational projects such as staffing the Thunderbird Lodge and preserving railroad cars.  Grant money for the 2006 cycle has been awarded to the State Archives for document conservation, to “brick and mortar” preservation projects, and to arts projects around the state.  The Foundation also administers a micro-grant program that awards non-restricted emergency funds of up to $500 to needy state and local government agencies and qualified Nevada-based non-profit organizations; this program has a 48-72 hour turnaround.  The total number of grants awarded each year will be determined by the success of the Foundation’s investments and the bylaws do not require grantees to have 501c3 non-profit status so State agencies are free to apply.  The website, foundation36.org, should be active by March 1, 2007.

In December 2006, Mr. Kintop attended the National Electronics Commerce Coordinating Council Conference in Sacramento; a group of large government agencies or elected officials, state archives interests (usually associated with the Secretaries of State), and system vendors that discussed digital archives this year. 

Nevada’s new Secretary of State, Ross Miller (son of former Governor Bob Miller), has a meeting scheduled with Sam Reed and Jerry Hanfield from the Washington State Digital Archives during his upcoming trip to Washington, DC.  Both Mr. Miller and NSLA Director Michael Fischer may also visit the Washington State Digital Archives.  Mr. Miller seems excited and passionate about advancing the archives program and could be an important champion.

The group broke for lunch at 12:30pm and the meeting reconvened at 1:10pm. (Jim Smith was absent.)

Information Item #4 – State Historic Records Advisory Board members whose terms expire in 2007:
The SHRAB members whose terms end June 30, 2007 are Victoria Ford, David Millman, and Jim Smith.  Information on new appointments, or reappointments, may be available in time for the June SHRAB meeting.

Action Item #5 – Review Strategic Plan for 2007-2011 and assign SHRAB responsibilities:  (Jim Smith returned)
A Strategic Plan brochure was provided to the Board members.  About 800 brochures are available for distribution statewide and anyone who would like more copies should contact Mr. Kintop.  This plan should be flexible enough to function for the next five years and three budget submissions.  Future funding may not be available from the NHPRC, but may still come from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), or the new NEH and Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) preservation initiative.  SHRAB members were asked to study the Strategic Plan and determine which goals each of them wished to pursue.

The OASIS Conference will be held in Reno on March 22-23, 2007 and Nevada History Day has been set up as a post-conference activity.  Anyone interested in attending OASIS should turn in their paperwork as soon as possible.

Action Item #5B – Discussion of Project Activities of 2007-08 SHRAB Operating Grant:
The SHRAB operating budget for calendar year 2007 is $10,000.  Future funding will depend upon the NHPRC.  Senator Harry Reid, a champion of the NHPRC, is a strong advocate of archives and archival functions and he should continue to fight for funding.

May Day – The Society of American Archivists (SAA) and the National Association of Government Archivists and Records Administrators (NAGARA) recommend updating disaster recovery plans, contact lists, etc. on May Day.  The national information can be distributed under a SHRAB imprint to generate more publicity for the Board.  Contact Mr. Kintop with any ideas on this subject.

Archives Month – The length of this event has been increased to a month due to the difficulty of trying to fit so many activities into one week; also, other states are starting to follow this model.  The Nevada SHRAB Archives Week posters have been so popular in the past that they might be made available to various libraries and museums throughout the state for personalization at a cost to them of $10 each.  If the SHRAB were to do only one thing, other than posters, workshops would be a good investment. 

History Day – The annual contest will be held at the State Library and Archives in Carson City on March 24th in conjunction with the OASIS Conference.  History Day now falls under the Department of Education after having been dropped by the Humanities Committee.  The SHRAB might get involved by donating prizes; current awards are tied to Black History, Women’s History, etc.  Foundation 36 is already providing some prizes, plus Thunderbird Lodge volunteers and staff will be attending History Day in a support role; the Foundation may also consider underwriting the event in the future.

Washoe and Clark Counties have “Teaching American History” grants from the U.S. Department of Education and the school district personnel are interested in historical sources of information for teachers.  Funding a digital collection of primary source material appropriate to teachers and students with education grant money is possible, but a curriculum would need to be developed.  

Action Item #5B iv – Regrant Projects:
Regrants from the SHRAB to other organizations should be considered as a way to attract more attention to the Board.  Regrant money may come from a variety of sources, including private organizations such as Foundation 36.  More information is listed in the Strategic Plan and further discussion may be held during the June SHRAB meeting. 

Action Item #5vi – Other Ideas:  Mr. Michel introduced Dana Miller, a contract technical services archivist for UNLV Special Collections who is interested in creating a “circuit-rider archivist” program similar to one in Georgia.  The program would assess the needs and goals of rural communities while presenting a public awareness and outreach component.  A centralized Nevada repositories web site could be created to link to all the other web sites around the state.  A “report card” identifying options and avenues for each agency visited could be sent back to the SHRAB as an informational item and be provided to each agency to show how they should progress.  The project would identify repositories and conditions and leave preservation protocols to the conservation people. 

Mr. Michel moved that a subcommittee be established to create a proposal for a circuit-rider archivist position.  Ms. Del Cohen seconded the motion.  Mr. Rocha called for questions and, hearing none, called for a vote.  The motion passed by acclamation.

Mr. Rocha then requested that Item 5C be moved up since two Board members needed to leave the meeting early. 

Action Item 5c – Meeting with Either California or Washington SHRAB:
Mr. Rocha asked the Board if Mr. Kintop should work out the details for a combined meeting of the California and Nevada SHRABs and also requested that Action Item 5c be combined with Action Item 8, Set Next Meeting Date, in regards to the June meeting.  Mr. Rocha also proposed the possibility of a meeting between the Washington SHRAB, the Nevada SHRAB, Secretary of State Miller, and Director Fischer in Washington State in October; more details should be available by June and an overture could be made at that time. 

Action Item #5bv – SHRAB Sessions at Professional Association Annual Meetings:
Mr. Kintop listed the annual meetings for various professional groups around the state and requested that anyone interested in attending one let him know early in order to get registrations processed in a timely manner.

New Business:
No new business.

Public Comment:
Ms. Miller thanked the Board for allowing her to speak about the possibility of creating a circuit-rider archivist position for the State of Nevada.

Adjournment:
Mr. Watson made a motion to adjourn.  Ms. Sundstrand seconded the motion.

Meeting adjourned at 3:08pm.